NDA picks 3 more names, sets stage for RS contests

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday threw in three additional candidates into the ring for the Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh as the dramatic final hours of nomination for the February 27 elections set the stage for a keen contest in three states.

In Uttar Pradesh, where 10 seats are up for grabs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named prominent realtor and former parliamentarian Sanjay Seth as its eighth candidate to take on the Samajwadi Party, which has named three candidates.

The nomination was filed at 1.30pm, just ahead of the 3pm deadline, in a replay of contests in Rajya Sabha polls in 2016 and 2018. The BJP is assured of winning seven seats and the SP of two. For the last seat, the SP is short by four votes and hence second-preference votes could come into play. In Himachal Pradesh, where only one seat is going to the polls, the BJP nominated Harsh Mahajan, a former Congress leader and aide of longtime chief minister Virbhadra Singh, to take on the Congress's Abhishek Singhvi. The Congress has a comfortable eight excess votes in the hill state but the BJP will hope for cross-voting by 10 lawmakers for its candidate to be elected.

In Karnataka, where four seats are in the fray, the Janata Dal (Secular) named party leader and former RS member Kupendra Swamy.

The Congress is assured of two seats and the BJP of one, but for the fourth seat, the ruling party is short of one vote.

Whips don't apply in the Rajya Sabha, allowing members to cross vote. But the voting is done with an open ballot, which means that legislators have to show their voting preferences to the party's polling agent. This means anyone who cross-votes can be identified and may face expulsion.